The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-04
The Art of Borrowing.

your livingl" was the somewhat con.
temptuous question put by reporter
to the San Francisco Examiner in the
corridor OF the Baldwin Hotel to a
wel-dressed, but nevertheless indie
scribably seedy.looking man who had
hazarded the remark that it was a
| fine day.
81 have been doing very we'll since
saw you last. have given up work
of every kind, for / am really not
strong enough for employment; and,
besides, don't like it. am earning a
good and respectable livelihood by
borrowing now" replied the young
man addressed, quite calmly.
"By borrowing" exclaimed the re-
porter. al should never fancy you
oculd live very luxuriously on an in
come drawn from that source. You
occasionally pay back the money you
| receive, | supposeY
81 always pay back the money get
the first time OF asking" replied the
young man. "The second time for
get to return it. When | began to ne
gotiate these little necessary loans ]
proposed to cancel my debts twice,
and allow the creditor to make a per-
manent investment at the third ven
ture; but | soon found that many men
object nearly as strongly to lending
money when they are sure they will
get it back as when they know they
are almost certain to lose it, and on
half dozen occa sions they refused to
accommodate me when / approached
them the third time, although they
must have seen that l was strictly
honest, as had paid them back the
money they had lent me twice already.
81 could not afford to be victimized
this way too often, you know, so de-
termined to close the account when /
had obtained the second loan. |
should make very little money il did
it sooner, because no man cares to
lend much to comparative stranger
when he first wants to borrow money
from him. / always make my initial
demand moderate one, never asking
for more than q dollar. / don't draw
my friend into retired corner and
nervously whisper my request in his
ear. II / did that he would almost
certainly refuse me.
81 take him when he is with his
friends, and manage ii can, to get
him to introduce me to some OF them.
Thus he becomes q sort OF sponsor for
my responsibility. Then | suddenly
call out, as though the thought had
just occurred to me: oh, by the way, X.
like good fellow, let me have 8 cou-
Pile of dollars until tomorrow after
noon. Or, hold on, one dollar will do.
want to pay little bill as Igo home,
and | seem to have made ducks and
brakes OF my small change to-day
Everybody in the room hears me;
and if X. refuses to lend me the money
he is, morally, holder man than Iusu.
ally find him to be. Punctually at
disappointed hour call upon him the
next day and return his dollar, apollo.
giving for having troubled him. Vk
him to take a drink if he is inclyaed
that way. Such upright behavior has,
OF course, a good effect upon hiY.. and
when, a little later, under very similar
surroundings, and laying my V'lans OF
attack in the same way. IS.rike him
for So, seldom failt get it @ld keep it.
zone rule scrupulouslysobserve
never ask man for money until. by
some means or other. have ascer-
tanned that he has it. The
more there is in his purse, the better
are my chances 0f success. It is
easier to borrow 81 from a man who
has $50 than haV. dollar from a
man who has only SO. Also men who
are not accustomed to having large
sums OF money will lend much more
freely when they happen to be flush
than those whose pockets are always
well lined.
81 never TASK for larger sum than
So. don't think it would be honor
able to do so-and, besides, ! might not
get it.
mo, never exhaust my list OF
friends. On the contrary, am al
ways increasing it. Before cut loose
from one man by the S. transfer get
him to introduce me to at least two
| Others. and as losses such as i have
| been speaking OF are not usually re-
feered to in good society the field is
generally clear for new operations.
"Now, will you join me in something
at the bar? MOI ! am sorry for
that. / did not intend to say I had
forgotten my purse and ask you to
pay for the drinks; and was hoping
that you would introduce me to some
| OF your friends at the hotel"
The Only Female Mayor.